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Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference has a pretty big focus on AI. Apple announced its generative AI offering, Apple Intelligence, which will be available on iOS later this year. iOS 18 will have several new features, including the ability to schedule text messages and customize the home screen, a major upgrade to Siri – including ChatGPT integration – and AI-generated emojis. In case you missed it, we put together a summary of everything Apple announced.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has received enough shareholder votes to have his 2018 stock option compensation package approved. The election means he could get paid up to $56 billion, the largest CEO compensation package in history, but a judge in Delaware still has to issue a final ruling after ruling that the package was unfair.
In funding news, Mistral AI has closed a rumored Series B funding round. The company has raised €600 million (about $640 million at current exchange rates) with a mix of equity and debt. The new round values ​​the startup at $6 billion as it continues to compete with OpenAI, Anthropic and other AI giants.
News
Former NSA chief joins OpenAI: The former head of the NSA, retired army general Paul Nakasone, will join OpenAI’s board of directors and will sit on the “safety and security” subcommittee. Read more
Tesla shareholders are suing Elon Musk: Shareholders of Tesla is suing Elon Musk and members of its board of directors over Musk’s decision to launch xAI. He argued that talent and resources were diverted from Tesla to the new startup. Read more
BeReal buy: French game and mobile app publisher Voodoo has acquired BeReal for €500 million. BeReal founder and CEO Alexis Barreyat will leave the company after a transition period. Read more
You can remove the ring: Apple has finally created a way for users to pause the activity ring on Apple Watches, which is very useful if you are sick or unable to do physical activity. Read more
Raspberry Pi goes public: The maker of small, low-cost single-board computers IPOed on the London Stock Exchange at ÂŁ2.80 per share, worth $690 million at current exchange rates, and quickly jumped to ÂŁ3.70 per share. Read more
iPads finally get a calculator app: iPads will have a dedicated calculator app for the first time. However, teachers, beware. The app includes Math Notes, a new feature that does the math for you. Read more
A new smartphone without distractions: The minimalist smartphone manufacturer Light announced its latest model. The Light Phone III does not have access to social media or the internet, but sports a larger OLED display and camera. Read more
Spotify goes in-house: Spotify is moving further into the advertising space with its first in-house creative agency, Creative Lab. The company said it will also begin testing generative AI ads. Read more
Will your device have iOS 18?: Apple iOS 18 will be compatible with many Apple devices this fall, but you’ll need to upgrade if you want the full Apple Intelligence experience. Read more
Analysis
Apple Intelligence doesn’t try to be flashy: With iOS 18, Apple is taking a more cautious approach. Instead of overwhelming users with AI features that can be calculated, the company is carefully rolling out AI that it believes will be useful. While Apple’s AI certainly isn’t as flashy, Sarah Perez says it’s the company’s way of setting the table stakes for AI-powered devices. Read more
Tesla fans get to vote: Tesla and its fans are waging an unprecedented battle over Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package. Over the past few months, there has been an unrelenting effort from Tesla’s biggest fans. Sean O’Kane explores the countless calls to action on X for shareholders to vote yes — and reinforces his belief that Tesla is nothing without Musk. Read more
Why Y Combinator encourages small seed rounds: In 2024, many Y Combinator startups will only want a small seed round – but that may turn out many institutional seed VCs. If YC startups treated the round like pre-seed funding, it might not be so bad. But as Rebecca Szkutak writes, there is a risk that companies label these smaller rounds as “seed rounds” with the goal of raising Series A. Read more
